the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to  us, we went on an outing to 
 the glass  factory that bore  our family 
 name. it had changed  owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned   for  a   long  while. 
 finally,  the  natural  end station  for 
 the  buildings that survive:  a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long time  since  my  family 
 made anything.  by  many,  we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there are  two  main factory  buildings, 
 domed things of several floors, made  in 
 yellow brick. large but narrow  windows, 
 reminescent    of    some     cathedral. 
 custom-made  glass, of course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a bit  too dark to be 
 practical.  on  the   eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other  one is publicly open. there's 
 a museum, with wax  figures of  my great 
 great great grandfather,  or  something. 
 various tools (or replicas) laid out  on 
 tables, with explaining texts.  a lot of 
 glass     of      varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak out,  and climb into the 
 other   building.   the    contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict   for  a   long  time,  windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark   glass  all  over  the  floor.  no 
 electric  lights, but i  can see by  the 
 light that shines in  wherever the  dark 
 windows    are    missing     a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest difference is  the 
 higher floors: this building  has  none. 
 it is one massive hall, stretching  away 
 infinitely above me.  somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron  latticework, from 
 where  chains are suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there is,  in  the  middle of the  great 
 hall,  a  thin   spiral  staircase  that 
 leads up there. i  sneak over there, and 
 take a few reluctant  steps.  after just 
 a  revolution, i  notice  that  for each 
 step  the building starts to  glow,  the 
 bricks  turning  a  dark  red,  and then 
 orange, all  the piled  up debree  being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop ready to run down  and  out,  but 
 there's someone  else  on the  staircase 
 with   me  now,   pressed   close.  he's 
 looking  like  me,  short hair  and thin 
 arms, but  with  ears from  some animal, 
 and  more disturbingly,  completely made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me  in  place  while he 
 starts  operating levers and  dials  set 
 in the  center of the staircase. slowly, 
 it  starts spinning,  circling  upwards. 
 it's   an  elevator!  i   start  to  run 
 downwards,   but   now  the  liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs  hold of me.  i  try  to 
 shake  him off, but he's too strong, and 
 pulls    me   back   up   beside    him. 
                                          
 this  time,  i turn angry  instead. what 
 the  hell? who is this guy,  acting like 
 this? i  reach  out my free arm and slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal  bar   is 
 suddenly released  between  us,  hitting 
 him  on  the arm, forcing  my release. i 
 shove him  off of me,  and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a  thin   rusty  chainmail 
 curtain is dropped  around  me.  but the 
 elevator  also  speeds up significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls  are  flaring   now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue. i close  my eyes and 
 curl  into a  ball. but then, the  glass 
 boy  screams,  a  piercing  sound   that 
 forces my eyes back open.  i watch as he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his body  pooling 
 down in  his  now massive tail, and  the 
 tip of it suddenly breaks of in a  glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward   the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's  crawling on the  stairs, unable to 
 keep his  body upright. can't reach  the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls. finally, he's lost  too much  of 
 himself and  the scream  is  cut  short. 
 the    last   of    him   rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't reach  the  levers  from 
 within my cage.  looking  up,  i  try to 
 make  out the  ceiling,  but it's  all a 
 whirling  sea of colours. below me glows 
 the hellfire of  the factory  walls, but 
 very  faint.  i sit down, curl back  up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large clunk shakes  my  entire  body, 
 and  snaps me  back  into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs  are   still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking in place, carrying me  the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i   slowly  dismount  the   stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying, i  make my  way over 
 the  factory floor, wading  through dark 
 glass marbles. a quick  glance down, and 
 i  see  there's something  faint  inside 
 them.    embryos?   are   these    eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.